Breakdown of Å ena sidan är hotellet billigt, å andra sidan är det smutsigt.
vara
to be
det
it (neuter)
billig
cheap
smutsig
dirty
hotellet
the hotel
å ena sidan
on the one hand
å andra sidan
on the other hand
Questions & Answers about Å ena sidan är hotellet billigt, å andra sidan är det smutsigt.
Why does this phrase use å instead of the usual preposition på?
In modern Swedish, å is an old-fashioned preposition that mostly survives in fixed expressions like å ena sidan (on the one hand) and å andra sidan (on the other hand). You cannot swap it for på here without it sounding unnatural.
Why is the verb är placed before the subjects hotellet and det?
This is the V2 (verb-second) rule in action. Because the introductory phrases Å ena sidan and å andra sidan take up the first position in each clause, the verb must come next. This forces the subject to move after the verb.
Why is it ena sidan instead of en sidan?
In this fixed expression, the number en acts as a definite adjective modifying the definite noun sidan (the side). Because it is definite, it takes the -a ending to become ena, neatly mirroring andra in the second half.
Just a quick refresher: why do billigt and smutsigt both end with a -t?
They are adjectives describing hotellet (the hotel). Since hotell is an ett-word, any adjective describing it must take the neuter -t ending, even when separated from the noun by the verb.
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